GOP warns dissident wing

Republicans try to stop 'Liberty Caucus'

State Republicans are trying to thwart a move by Ron Paul supporters to take over the party in St. Johns County and the state.

This week, the Republicans sent warning letters to 10 state chapters of the Republican Liberty Caucus -- an organization within the party that promotes an agenda much the same as Ron Paul libertarians. The letter warned the caucus the law doesn't allow them to use the word "Republican" in its name without permission.

Some local Republicans see the caucus as seeking control of their party and then opposing Sen. John McCain, who they see as too liberal. This is similar to what is playing out on the national stage, as mainstream Republicans are losing western support for McCain to libertarians.

This week, the caucus here vowed a strong court fight to keep its name.

William Westmiller of Thousand Oaks, Calif., chairman of the national Republican Liberty Caucus, said no other caucus has this problem.

"To my knowledge, this type of law only exists in Florida. Our strategy has always been to work in a civil and cooperative fashion within the Republican Party," he said.

St. Johns County libertarians joined the Republican Party after Paul, a Texas congressman and former Libertarian Party candidate, polled only single digit percentages in nearly all states. They say the mainstream party has lost its conservative base.

Northeast Florida's Republican Liberty Caucus president, Will Pitts, a St. Johns County resident and Jacksonville businessman, said taking away their name is "un-American. We have every right to use that name."

Bob Veit, president of St. Johns County Republican Club, said, "They're generally nice people, but also are zealots. They would marginalize other Republicans, moderate and conservative. This augurs no good for the party in the long term."

Two caucus members -- John Charles Stevens and Wynona Mayer -- are running Aug. 26 for state committeeman and state committeewoman, seeking to oust mainstream incumbents Jon Woodard and Becky Reichenberg.

Veit said Woodard and Reichenberg had "dedicated themselves to victory in November for the Republican slate."

State committee seats make and change Republican strategy. The caucus leadership wants to inch ahead and get more members elected to such posts.

The libertarian agenda now assumed by the caucus seems plucked directly from an earlier Republican playbook.

It seeks more individual liberty, minimal government intrusion, fiscal responsibility, opposition to welfare and entitlements, no foreign aid, lower taxes, state sovereignty, elimination of federal agencies duplicated at the state level, less regulation and a strong national defense with fewer military bases abroad.

Many Republicans believe those aims are the heart of their party.

But Veit said he doesn't like their tactics, and mainstream Republicans have filed grievances to Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer, reporting anti-Republican comments by caucus members.

Stevens reportedly said "bashing the (Republican) party did nothing to advance (our) agenda," and added that "a chunk of 'the base' (of Republican voters) can be turned our way."

He also discussed obstacles the caucus faced if it tried to take over the Democratic Party or third parties.

Veit said said Stevens and Mayer had sworn to support McCain.

"They obviously do not take their oath seriously because they both are actively trying to torpedo McCain's candidacy as evidenced by their stated intentions to demonstrate against McCain at the National Convention in Minneapolis. I want Republicans to know what's happening."

Bullion said vocal dissenters like Stevens don't speak for the caucus. Stevens later said many of the comments attributed to him were taken out of context.

"We're a little more expressive and passionate (than other party members), kind of in your face," Stevens said. "I don't believe (the state party) has legal grounds (to prevail in a lawsuit)."

Still, some local Republicans don't want a divided party. For example, Joe Moody of Ponte Vedra Beach, a lifelong Republican voter, doesn't belong to the caucus and hadn't met Veit.

"(But) if he's a true conservative Republican, I will support him with vigor. If he is not, I won't. If the Republican Party would move back to its base, it would be more cohesive and more effective getting Republicans out to vote."

Another Republican voter, Robert Champion, president of the Ponte Vedra Beach Republican Club and a member of the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee, said the caucus has good ideas, one being low taxes.

"(But) I think their approach is wrong," Champion said. "They might get a victory for (themselves) at the cost of the election. John McCain is much more of a Republican than Barack Obama. They'd be better off getting behind McCain. They could be an election spoiler."